Hecklers sneak in a cheap shot at Woods

But even the uber-protective club couldn't ensure Woods' marital infidelity wouldn't be the subject of aerial catcalls.

A small plane circled the course on Thursday, carrying two separate banners that made light of Woods' claim that he will return to practicing Buddhism to clean up his life, following his treatment for sex addiction.

In the first instance, the banner read, "Tiger: Did you mean bootyism?" and the plane flew overhead as Woods hit his first tee shot. A second banner that read, "Sex addict? Yeah right. Sure. Me too," came later in the round.

Woods said after the round that he did not see the airplanes, but wasn't surprised that someone would go to such great lengths to have fun at his expense.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Woods said.

Hot putters

It's no secret why Fred Couples and Tom Watson are among the leaders after Thursday's first round at the Masters.

The veteran duo, who shot 66 and 67, respectively, were the field's two top putters in the first round. Both players needed only 24 putts to complete their round.

That only continues a developing trend for Couples, who throughout his PGA career was better known for his long drives than his putting prowess.

"The putting's become the best thing in my game," Couples said. "I always felt like I could hit the ball, but when I'm making 8- and 10-footers for pars and birdies, it makes my game a lot easier and then I can be a little bit more of an attack player instead of trying to roll a 25-foot birdie up there close and tap it in."

Yang slam?

The defending champion in the last contested major of 2009, PGA champion Y.E. Yang, is in the thick of the race after one round at Augusta.

Yang shot a 5-under 67 and sits in a five-way tie, one stroke behind Couples for the first-round lead.

It was Yang's best single round in three Masters appearances, but he isn't ready to proclaim himself ready to win back-to-back major championships.

"Every tournament that I come into, I usually try to put myself in a position to at least go into the top 10 after the third round," said Yang, who handed Woods his first defeat after leading through 54 holes at a major last year at Hazeltine. "It would be nice, yes, but no, I really don't have a conscious feeling of trying to win back-to-back majors."

Honorary starter

Jack Nicklaus made his debut as a Masters honorary starter early Wednesday morning.

The six-time Masters champion joined longtime friend and rival Arnold Palmer on the No. 1 tee to officially open the tournament. Both men hit their drives down the right side of the fairway.

"I've never been up this early at Augusta," Nicklaus joked. "I've never had the tee at 7:40 before, but now I have, so I run the gamut."

Palmer has served as honorary starter since 2007, resuming a tradition that started in 1963 with Jock Hutchinson and Fred McLeod hitting the tournament's opening shots. Nicklaus was 23 and won his first Masters that year.

"I was a young player and I didn't have a clue who they were (then) and I'm sure the young players have no clue who Arnold and I are," Nicklaus said.

Byron Nelson, Gene Sarazen, Ken Venturi and Sam Snead have also served as honorary starters in points in Masters history.

This and that

Woods also commented on the controversial new Nike commercial that features audio of his late father, Earl, asking Tiger, "Did you learn anything?" Although the ad has been widely panned since its debut Wednesday, Woods said, "I think that's what my dad would say. It's amazing how it - how my dad can speak to me from different ways, even when he's long gone. He's still helping me. I think any son who has lost a father and who meant so much in their life, I think they would understand the spot."

... Defending Masters champion Angel Cabrera was one of the early first-round leaders, making the turn at 3 under after birdies on Nos. 2, 3 and 8. But Cabrera imploded with a back-nine 40, starting with a four-putt double-bogey on the par-5 13th. Cabrera went on to bogey two of the last three holes to finish at 1-over 73. ... Other scores of note: Anthony Kim (68), 2008 Masters champ Trevor Immelman (69), 2007 Masters champ Zach Johnson (70), 2003 Masters champ Mike Weir, Ernie Els and Hunter Mahan 71, Kenny Perry (72), Stewart Cink and David Duval (76).